It has been four years since we left the UAE having lived and worked in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Sharjah and Dubai for different universities and colleges. I have very fond memories and I miss people. Has it changed significantly as there is very little news about the UAE when you live outside of it? Is it still a good place to teach and bring up your kids?

In a nutshell, university PYP hiring is down, salaries are generally stagnant or declining, and benefits aren't as rich. Plus, there's the push for Emiratisation. You might take time to go through this forum for the past year. Teaching prospects and the ability to support a family have obviously been impacted.

As for cost of living, there's now a value-added tax (VAT), which became effective at the start of 2018.

In a nutshell, university PYP hiring is down, salaries are generally stagnant or declining, and benefits aren't as rich. Plus, there's the push for Emiratisation. You might take time to go through this forum for the past year. Teaching prospects and the ability to support a family have obviously been impacted.

As for cost of living, there's now a value-added tax (VAT), which became effective at the start of 2018.

Considering the price of oil has sunk to 50% of what it was four years ago, stagnant salaries and downsizing and then hiring staff for much less is all to be expected. Cut backs on health benefits (you pay for premium services), educational allowances, airplane tickets, professional development funding, housing and vacation time are all in the cards.

Then, there is the VAT, (the 5% we pay for the privilege of living in the UAE) which nobody really knows how to implement, so you may in fact be "vatted" on a service or purchase several times before you, the end user, gets the product.